Sierra snow is 66 percent of normal above Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE ” The Sierra Nevada snowpack is at two-thirds of normal for this time of year, raising concerns about summer water deliveries to cities and farms.

The third straight winter of below-normal precipitation has prompted drought warnings in California. The state depends on its snowpack for much of its summer water supply.

This winter’s fifth and final snow survey near South Lake Tahoe on Thursday found the snowpack at 66 percent of a typical year across the 400-mile-long mountain range.

California Department of Water Resources spokesman Don Strickland says the average was 61 percent in the southern Sierra, 70 percent in the central mountains and 66 percent in the north. The department coordinates the monthly surveys.

Strickland said Thursday that several major reservoirs remain low despite late winter storms.